Passing the Key
by Mewgia Mirrorcoat
Summary: Many years in the future, Master Riku prepares his own Mark of Mastery exam for his eldest apprentice. Reflecting on his own beginning days as a wielder of the keyblade, he finds the process very difficult. KH3D spoilers.


Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. The apprentices are inspired by other characters, but I won't say who until the last chapter.

A/N: First KH story in years! XD This was originally going to be a one-shot, but I decided it worked better as a short story. Somehow, release of the latest Kingdom Hearts game always gives me ideas that just have to be written. As I noted in the summary though, there are major KH3D spoilers. SRK are all still supposed to be relatively young - maybe thirty-ish or so.

Make of pairings as you will. I wasn't consciously trying to write any.

Enjoy!

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_**Passing the Key**_

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_**Spirit**_

Riku sat there staring at the blank paper on his desk, wondering how exactly he was supposed to do this.

He had little information to go on. He could think of his own exam, but that was in preparation for war, and those days were long past. Even though he believed his eldest apprentice capable, he had no desire for Martin to experience the horror of a friend torn away and a battle for his heart, and the boy already knew what the Sleeping Worlds were like. Perhaps he should send a message to Master Yen Sid…

_I'm not ready for this_, he thought tiredly. _I feel like I took my exam yesterday._

Really, how was he supposed to test his apprentice?

He could have him enter another's heart, though he wasn't sure who would consent to it (or need it, for that matter). Martin had taken the dive into the darkness and emerged unhurt, but stronger for it – that test frightened Riku more than any other he prepared, but he felt necessary for any who apprenticed under him, and he did all he could to prepare his students for it. Shin was next, and while physically capable, she was still immature, unready for that test. He didn't even know where to start for Yova, who would need it most of all.

But back to Martin. What could Riku prepare? The traditional exam, as Master Eraqus had administered for Terra and Aqua? But that didn't seem right, and only one apprentice was ready. A quest similar to those that Mickey had undertaken?

"Hey Master Riku, you coming down for dinner?"

He recognized that voice. He groaned and spun in his chair, shaking his head at the figure in the doorway.

"Yes, and for the thousandth time Sora, don't call me that," he replied.

The man shrugged and let himself into the office. "Well, I figured you could use the confidence booster, seeing as you're prepping that exam. Not going well, huh."

"No, not really." Riku gripped his head in his hands. "I'm just not satisfied with the kinds of exams I know about – we're not in the middle of a war, this shouldn't be a simple exam, and I'm not Master Yen Sid."

"No, you're definitely not."

Sora grabbed a large beanbag chair from the corner and plopped himself down on it. Riku had had so many impromptu meetings with his fellow masters or apprentices in his office that he had eventually taken Yova's advice and added several items to make the place cozier. He often found his best friend snoozing there, and no variations of "Get beanbag chairs in your own office!" ever stopped him.

"Still," the younger man shrugged, "Worrying about it won't get you any closer to figuring it out. Rest on it or something, or watch Martin and see what'd be best for him. You haven't told him, have you?"

Riku gave a long sigh. "I did, today. Huge mistake. Now I have a deadline."

"Oh. That… sucks."

_I haven't said when though_, he thought. At least he had that advantage.

They were silent for a few moments, leaving Riku to mull over the issue. He was a Master, had been one for years, had more than enough experience in combat and matters of the heart, had three apprentices, and should by all means be able to gauge his own student's abilities. He knew that his eldest was ready, perhaps even over-prepared given the number of things Riku had put him through, but how exactly did one measure in one test the sheer amount that a keybearer was capable of? It was just this one last hurdle, and it made him feel just as unsure and nervous as he had the day he decided to first take on an apprentice.

It also made him realize how young he had been at the time. But they had all been young when they were first drawn into the conflict between light and dark.

"How would you do this?" he finally asked, grimacing. "I'm sure you've thought about it, even if your students aren't ready."

Sora paused, tilting his head to the side. "Hmm. I have, but nothing really good's come up. I figured maybe the Sleeping Worlds test like we had to do would work, since there's no one evil around and we can keep tabs on them. I thought it was a good test."

_A good test, and a terrifying one_, Riku thought dimly. He could imagine exactly why Sora thought it would work for his own students – the ability to unlock sleeping hearts. That and Sora had always considered that exam an excellent way of combining the strength of heart and power of dreams in a way that tested one's character.

But he had seen Martin through all his training, and that dive into darkness had been enough of a test of character, in Riku's opinion. Maybe that should have been his Mark of Mastery.

"I've taken Martin through one of the Sleeping Worlds," he replied, frowning. "Before his Dive, but he was great on his own. I mostly just followed from the shadows to make sure he didn't get eaten or something."

"I thought he did."

"He got himself out."

"Wow… I guess he _is_ ready. Are you gonna' do this with Shin and Yova too?"

"Yes, when they're _ready_. Do you think those two are anywhere close to ready?"

Sora gave a weak laugh. "They… ha, good luck. I'm sure they'll be better in a couple years." He blinked at Riku's raised eyebrow. "Maybe add on another one for Shin?"

Riku just let his head fall back into his palm. "That girl. I don't know what she's thinking half the time. And Yova… he's loud and energetic, just like you'd expect with someone his age, but that darkness… it's going to be hard."

Choosing Martin and Shin had been similar. Exceptionally strong hearts, brilliant light, natural ability that made them possible candidates as wielders of the keyblade. Not even passage of his twilit keyblade could taint that. Yova had been different. Those same qualities were there, but Riku had recognized the darkness within him that matched the light in intensity. It wasn't as though Yova himself shared the same ambition and personality as all the other dark users Riku had known – on the contrary, the boy acted much more like a very young _Sora_, of all people – but it was the realization that others with worse motivations might manipulate and use him for their own ends, that made Riku decide to choose him as an apprentice.

After all, someone who walked the road to dawn was probably the best guide for anyone taking the same path.

Sora gave one of his old cheesy grins. Riku never tired of them, even as the two keybearers had aged. "Well, I'll be around to help you with them. Me and Kairi. We already kind of teach each other's apprentices anyway. We all live in the same castle. And I'm sure Aqua wouldn't mind, or one of the other Masters."

Riku looked up, feeling grateful. He also felt oddly jealous, even if he knew the origin was unreasonable. After all, these were his students, he cared about them, and he had chosen them himself.

"Thanks. And I'll keep helping you, though at least yours are… more normal," he finished lamely.

Sora sighed and shifted in the beanbag chair, though he didn't fully relax into it.

"I feel like you know your apprentices better than I know mine because of that though. Ran is outgoing enough that it's easy to talk to him, but it took me years to get Hrille to open up. I swear those two are conspiring against me sometimes. Teaching is hard."

Riku chuckled. He had to agree there. "True. I guess I do like how mine are a little unique. And who knows what Kairi's will be like when she decides to take some."

"She told me today about this little girl in Twilight Town that has potential. But I think she's waiting until you graduate Martin. Five apprentices in one castle is enough for her."

That made Riku feel slightly guilty for still having no idea what kind of exam he should prepare. This conversation certainly hadn't helped so far.

He gave a tired sigh, thinking about just how much relied on his eldest. "Martin may as well already be graduated, seeing as how he practically helps us handle the other four. And he's been able to handle world imbalances on his own for a while now."

"So you really don't know."

"Nope. Everything I think of just feels… inadequate? Can I use that word?"

"In what way? Like they aren't enough, or too much, or don't fit?"

Riku ran his hand through his hair. "All three. Maybe I prepped him too much."

Sora just gave him a strange look. "Isn't that the point of the whole training thing, getting your apprentices to where you trust them with everything that comes with being a keybearer?"

Did he trust Martin in that manner? Yes, he did, Riku had made sure train his apprentice to have the strength and independence to handle whatever obstacles came his way. There was no war this time though, and the young keybearer had never had to endure the same hardships as the Masters he lived with, but Riku had no doubt in his mind that were Xehanort to mysteriously reappear, Martin would at least be competent as a fellow warrior.

It made Riku reflect again. In all his days as a beginning wanderer of worlds and later as a keyblade wielder, nothing had ever come easily. He had made terrible mistakes, been manipulated and enslaved, somehow risen above it all to master his darkness and atone for all he had done. He never wanted anyone in his care to repeat that sequence, but he absolutely had to ensure that his experience was passed on. His apprentices would have the ability and strength of heart to overcome, survive, and prosper.

He was confident that Martin could do so. It was why he was considered ready for the Mark of Mastery.

"Then the exam is a formality then," Riku crossed his arms. "Like ours was… kind of."

"The one I didn't pass?" Sora quipped.

"That wasn't your fault, and technically you did. You just weren't named Master then."

"I wasn't ready for it… up here," he tapped his head. "Heart and body maybe, but I had a lot to figure out before I could accept the title."

So now Sora was reflecting too. Riku knew it wasn't something he did often, being so much more forward thinking and open in a way that embraced action, but teaching drew from experience, and experience came from somewhere.

"There was a war coming," he replied. "Things weren't at peace, not like now. And our apprentices have never had to deal with what we had to back then."

"That hasn't stopped you from making sure yours _can_," Sora pointed out, frowning. Then he sighed and leaned back in the beanbag chair, arms folded behind his head. He still seemed very boyish to Riku, even now years after the end of Xehanort's terror. "Sometimes I wonder if I should let Ran and Hrille take the Dive. You'd have to be in charge of that," he added, grinning, but he continued. "I know we don't really need to worry about the darkness like we had to, but falling in is… not fun."

Riku gave a weak chuckle. Both of them knew well. "You can say that again. I'd be happy to administer that, but only if you think it's a good idea."

"I'm thinking it is. They'd need some time to train and prep, but I think both of them are strong enough to do it."

They were silent for a good few moments.

"This hasn't gotten us any closer to figuring out an exam for Martin," Riku said.

Sora waved at him. "Oh come on, you'll figure it out! Okay, let's go off of what he's good and bad at. He's good at magic and being diplomatic. What's he bad at?"

"Protecting his left shoulder," Riku answered, suppressing a smirk. "He always has to repair that pauldron."

Sora laughed, just as the sound of swift footsteps echoed outside the room. Both men sat up at this, recognizing whose.

"I guess Kairi wants us down for dinner?"

"Probably," Riku stretched. "I'm tired of trying to figure this out anyway."

They barely had to wait. A tan boy in his mid teens with tousled blond hair sped into view. He skidded past the doorway and had to stop himself by grabbing the frame.

"Oh Master, you're here! And Master Riku, hi!"

The boy's entrance was nothing new to Riku, but the splotches of what looked like a purple jam, combined with a panicked look on his face, made him pay a little more attention.

Sora clearly noticed as well. He turned and raised an eyebrow. "What is it Ran?"

"Shin exploded dessert and it looks like she accidentally summoned some kind of dinosaur and Master Kairi and Martin are trying to calm it down but said we should grab you and Yova's freaking out and I think Shin's being chased by it and Hrille went to your office Master so I need to go grab her because both of you are here - "

"Calm down, Ran," Riku quickly interrupted the rambling boy. "It'll be fine."

Sora let out an exasperated groan and practically leapt out the room, leaving his poor flustered apprentice behind. Riku made a mental note to smack his best friend later; they had other things to worry about.

"And Sora's already off," he continued, shaking his head. "Anyway, as I said, it'll be fine. Worse things could happen, unless that dinosaur's a Heartless, but you said Kairi and Martin are trying to calm it?"

Ran nodded vigorously. He reminded Riku of Ven in many ways, which he suspected was part of the reason why Sora had been drawn to him.

"Yeah, they just said they'd talk to it but we should get you and Master because you'd know more about it and how it got here."

Riku frowned, if only because this meant that whatever the situation was, it involved something that Sora and him had more expertise over than Kairi did, which at this point in their lives was fairly little. Or maybe it was because of the apprentice in question, whose hijinks often needed extra backup in the aftermath.

"Okay Ran, go grab Hrille and come back down to the kitchen," he nodded at the boy. "I'll go check it out."

"Yes Master Riku."

Ran sped off without any other words, and Riku got up from his chair to do some damage control.

The roars echoed throughout the castle, he realized as he made his way to the main hall and onwards. He was surprised that he hadn't heard anything in his office, and judging from the ruckus, something very interesting had to be going on. But to his relief, he could tell that the situation was under control and benign, just… chaotic, he gathered, from the sound of breaking dishware.

It seemed to have calmed by the time he reached the kitchen. He spied his eldest apprentice leaning against the doorframe, dressed in mage garb from his home world as he often did after an exhausting day, his long brown hair tied back neatly.

"Martin," Riku called.

"Oh, hi Master," The youth waved. He looked exasperated, but amused all the same. "Glad you made it. Come in and see what Shin did."

"Well I've heard what she did…"

"I think you need to see it."

Riku sighed as Martin slipped back in, and he followed the apprentice into the kitchen.

He stopped to see splattered food and broken dishes strewn about all four walls (and ceiling), what looked like a multicolored Tyrannosaurus rex hugging a terrified Shin in the manner that a child would hug a parent, and two laughing keyblade masters to round out the scene.

"Master!" the petite girl squealed, auburn braided pigtails askew. "I-I-I'm sorry, this was a complete accident, I so totally didn't mean to do this, I'll take him to his correct world right away!"

Riku took a closer look at the dinosaur and realized that he recognized the creature as a dream eater. It had been several months since his last trip to the Sleeping Worlds and seen his own spirit companions, and it made him realize the gravity of what had just happened.

"Shin," he began in his most parent-like, authoritative voice. It made him feel old. "You weren't in my office recently, were you?"

Now he knew why Sora and Kairi were laughing, and why Martin had an exasperated look on his face despite his clear amusement. Riku was unhappy that Shin had taken from the supply cupboard in his office that all five apprentices had been explicitly told not to touch unless there was some world emergency, but he found himself much more impressed at what she had done. It wasn't every day that someone managed to create a Tyranto Rex from his old dream pieces despite not even being in one of the Sleeping Worlds.

_She is going to be a very powerful Master one day. If only she could keep her head grounded and stop destroying everything._

Shin made a tiny "eep" as the spirit nudged her with its large nose. She cringed.

"I… I… yes, Master Riku…"

At least she was always honest. Even during her first trip offworld, where she had promptly walked into a wall and then upon concerned interrogation, confessed that she had wanted to make sure it was real. Riku was fairly sure there were less painful ways of doing that.

Regardless, an idea was forming in his head. He wasn't planning on letting her off, and maybe the responsibility of taking care of another might be beneficial to her. And he knew from experience that this was far from the worst misstep she could make.

He found it difficult to keep a straight face as he raised his eyebrows. "Well, what are you going to name it?"

Shin squeaked. "N-name it?!"

A smug smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Yes. You did create it."

The girl stood there, completely frozen with the dream eater still curled around her. The dream eater looked at her expectantly.

She seemed to realize that it did in fact understand her, and she turned to gaze, wide-eyed, back. She was trembling, but some kind of recognition did appear on her face.

"U-um…" she apprehensively petted it on the snout. The spirit let out a happy rumble. "Do you like… Travis?"

_Travis?_

The spirit, or Travis, as he had just been crowned, gave an emphatic nod and released a jubilant roar. Shin clamped her hands over her ears, while Riku just stood there relieved that the dinosaur had not chosen to backflip in celebration. There was enough broken in the kitchen.

"He does," Sora grinned.

Riku sighed and shook his head, simultaneously glad and disappointed that he had missed the majority of the excitement.

"Handled it all right?" he glanced at Kairi, who let out a small laugh.

"Yes, once we realized… Travis just wanted to hug her," she replied.

"So now we just have a cleanup." _Cleanup in more ways than one_, he wanted to add, but he didn't want to reveal in front of Shin that he actually found the situation funny. He still had to deal with her. "Where did Yova go, wasn't he was here too?"

Kairi giggled slightly and looked directly at the sink.

Riku chose not to ask why. Yova did strange things whenever he panicked.

"Yova, you can come out from under there."

The small door opened, and the indigo-haired boy let out a pained groan as tried to extricate himself from the tiny space. He managed, though not without banging his head on a pipe and tumbling into a pile on the floor.

"Ow…"

The boy righted himself and jumped to his feet, looking abashed in front of his teachers. Then he looked up at the rumbling dinosaur spirit.

"… we're actually keeping him?"

"I think we are," Kairi answered, smiling.

Yova stared. Martin rubbed his temples. Shin squeaked again.

Riku met Sora and Kairi's eyes. The other two had recognized his idea, but whether or not they both fully approved was another matter. They seemed to though, judging from their reactions.

Then there were footsteps and Ran and Hrille burst into the kitchen. They gaped at the sight of Travis happily nuzzling Shin, who seemed to have lost a bit of her earlier fear, looking a bit warmer towards the spirit as she hesitantly patted it.

"… and this is okay?!" Hrille turned to Sora, her eyes very wide.

The keyblade master just gave a huge grin. "Of course! Ran, Hrille, welcome Travis to the family!"

"_Travis_?!" both yelped.

Riku ignored them and turned towards his wayward apprentice. He gave her a very stern, even look that left her shuffling and ashamed of herself. He had long ago lost track of how many times they had been in this position.

"Shin," he stated. "Your next assignment… is to clean up the entire kitchen and make a list of every single thing that was broken. You'll be on the trip to replace them. No, you may not use magic. No, no one else is going to help her," he added as Yova started. "And please remember… while curiosity can lead to great things, it also has _consequences_."

Shin drooped. "Yes Master."

"Spirits, like Travis, are great companions and allies. Seeing as how you created him, you are now also responsible for taking care of him." The sadistic part of him cheered at the sight of Shin's paled face. But the experience would be good for her. "I'll teach you how. And it looks like we got a trip to a Sleeping World coming up."

Both Ran and Hrille let out simultaneous "oooh"s while Martin scrunched his face up. He clearly still remembered the entire experience of being eaten. Sora and Kairi, to their credit, only smiled knowingly.

Yova on the other hand stared at Riku. Then at Shin and Travis. Then he pointed.

"Master, can I have a dinosaur too?"

Riku wondered why Martin had never been this much trouble. Maybe this was why he was having so much difficulty trying to think up an exam.


End file.
